Reborn in Dunhuang, I am farming and doing business in the desert

Chapter 89 Buying a Title
Shen Zhao said seriously, "It's almost the twelfth lunar month, so we need to sell these goods as soon as possible. The cotton clothing business will be difficult after the spring."

The young men didn't think much about it and agreed: "Winter clothes are really not selling well these days. I guess everyone who should buy them has already bought them."

"Even the garrison troops at Yuze Barrier have bought less. Even if someone wants to buy, they want us to give them credit."

"Yes, last time we went to the market in Wangsha Township, we met several garrison soldiers who wanted to buy on credit."

"However, if the price comes down, there will still be people willing to buy it."

The young men had many different opinions and were full of expectations. They all hoped to make some money before the New Year so that their families could have a prosperous year.

Shen Zhao did not explain further and asked Mr. Dong to distribute the package of goods to the young men. He and his second brother rode home on horseback.

Before I reached the front door of my house, I saw a lot of people gathered outside the yard. They were watching Ah Zhudie and Shen De slaughtering sheep, while my mother and several other women were using hot water to scrape the wool.

The brother and sister jumped off their horses, led the horse into the yard, and tied it into the empty sheepfold.

Shen Heng said: "Let's not raise sheep anymore. We won't make much money even if we bother to raise sheep."

What he hated most was herding sheep. It would take up the entire day and was not interesting at all.

Shen Zhao picked up a broom and cleaned the sheepfold: "If you don't want to raise sheep, then don't raise them. From now on, you will be responsible for the business of the inn. Find someone to build a few more rooms to accommodate the Hu merchants who come and go."

Shen Heng scratched his head: "But I want to go to the market with Ah Zhu and the others."

"Can you go to the market for the rest of your life?" Shen Zhao rolled his eyes at him unhappily, "Can you be a little more ambitious?"

Shen Heng puffed up his lips and stopped talking, scratching Da Huang's neck with his hand.

Da Huang rubbed him affectionately and snorted.

After sweeping the sheep pen, Shen Zhao brought some hay from the side and threw it in front of the horse, then went to fetch a basin of water and placed it on the ground, and then went to watch several sheep being slaughtered.

In the evening, the ten sheep were finally cleaned. Zhang Shanyue distributed some of the cleaned sheep offal and blood to the neighbors who helped, and kept some for himself.

Then she cooked a pot of mutton offal in a large pot, adding pepper and seasonings given by her daughter.

Shen Ang just happened to come back from Tingyi, and the family of four sat around the table drinking mutton soup and eating steamed buns.

Shen Zhao thought for a long time before asking his father: "Dad, do you have a way to buy a title?"

"Hmm?" Shen Ang didn't understand, so he asked, "Why did Zhao think of asking this?"

Shen Zhao took a sip of the spicy mutton soup and said calmly, "I want to buy a title for my father."

"What? Buy me a title?" Shen Ang was so shocked that the lamb tripe on his chopsticks fell off.

Shen Zhao: "Yes, as long as you have the title, your brothers will be qualified to be officials in the future, and our family can be exempted from corvée."

All the officials in the imperial court were from aristocratic families. Common people like my family could not cross the class even if they were rich.

Therefore, only by spending money to buy a title can one fundamentally change one's destiny.

Shen Ang was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "A Zhao, do you know how much money it costs to donate for the lowest title?"

"Yes, I know. One level of martial arts title costs 170,000 coins. Each additional level costs 20,000 coins. We can buy the eighth level, Leqing." This is the highest title that border guards or soldiers can buy.

Although these titles are just status titles, without fiefdom or salary, in Xiaoqing's words, it is like spending money to buy national debt, but at a critical moment, you can give up the title to save your life. In other words, if your father breaks the law one day, as long as it is not a serious crime such as treason, you can give up the title and be exempted from the death penalty.

Shen Ang looked at his daughter and asked, "Where did you get so much money? If the higher-ups ask about the source of our funds, how will we tell?"

"Dad, just say that I earned it well. I rented our house and opened an inn on the official road, specializing in doing business with Western Hu merchants." The court did not restrict women from doing business, nor did it say that unmarried women doing business would affect the status of their fathers and brothers. After all, she would get married in the future.

Shen Ang shook his head and refused: "That's not right. How can I use your money to buy a title?"

Zhang Shanyue also said: "A Zhao, you have already helped the family a lot, so you don't have to spend that money anymore. Now that we have a tofu workshop, we can still make ends meet even if we don't do other business in the future."

Shen Heng looked left and right, ate a large bowl of mutton offal and two large steamed buns, without expressing any opinion.

In his opinion, his sister is a member of his family and it is up to him whether to buy her a title or not. He doesn't understand why his parents are so distant with him.

Shen Zhao insisted, "Dad, the title must be purchased. Don't worry, I have a lot of money. Not to mention buying an eighth-level Le Qing, even buying a few more Le Qings is more than enough."

"What?" Shen Heng's eyes widened: "Then why don't you buy one for your second brother as well?"

Zhang Shanyue knocked his son's head with chopsticks: "All that mutton offal can't stop you from eating!"

Shen Heng stood up and pulled his sister to ask, "A Zhao, tell me the truth, how much money do you have?"

"Let's use 700,000 for now. But right now I can only buy a title for daddy. You and your elder brother should postpone the purchase." Shen Zhao told the truth.

Then, under the shocked gazes of his family, he continued, "Our family has a grudge against the Xue and Qin families. Once they are pardoned and return to Beijing, they will definitely find a way to retaliate against our family. So I bought the title for future plans."

Now Shen Ang and his wife were silent.

Shen Heng slammed the table and said, "In that case, I will find a way to kill them!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhang Shanyue glared at his son. "There are several people in the Xue and Qin families. Can you kill them all? If someone finds out, no amount of nobility will be enough to atone for the crime."

Shen Ang also nodded: "We really can't act rashly. Xue Song also has some connections in Quanzhi. If he writes a letter and sends it to the capital, none of our family will be able to escape."

Shen Zhao agreed: "Dad is right, second brother, you must not let anyone know about this. If someone takes advantage of us, we won't be able to explain ourselves."

Shen Heng then sat back at the table awkwardly and ate a few more pieces of lamb tripe.

"Dad, can you find some time to ask how to buy a title?" Shen Zhao said to his father again: "Don't worry about not having enough money. I can earn more in the future."

"By the way, when you go to the county town, buy some bronze objects. I can sell them to the foreigners at a high price."

"Bronze objects?" Shen Ang thought for a moment and said, "You can only go to Dunhuang County to see the more exquisite ones. The bronze vessels here are not up to standard."

Shen Zhao smiled and said, "Foreign merchants don't like new items. They only want to buy old items that have been used for many years, such as copper steamers, copper chessboards, exquisite copper lampstands, and copper tripods."

"That's easy. We have a copper steamer in Tingyi. I'll ask Father Ting to buy a new one and bring the old one home."

Shen Ang crushed the steamed bun and soaked it in the bowl of mutton offal, then poked it with chopsticks.

Shen Zhao quickly took out 10,000 copper coins and gave them to his father: "Take this 10,000 first. If you come across any exquisite copperware, buy them all, no matter how expensive they are."

Hehe! No matter how expensive it is, it is not as expensive as Xiaoqing's estimate. A dagger inlaid with gems can be sold for 700,000.

(End of this chapter)